[FOUNTAIN]A Beatle shines in the sky

In London and Liverpool, there are walking tours of the Beatles, retracing the footsteps of the legendary band.

Fans and tourists flock to the Cavern Club, where the band made one of its first appearances in 1961, and the Abbey Road studios in northern London, where they recorded. The crosswalk that graces the cover of the album "Abbey Road" is a major attraction.

Egypt has reaped ample tourist revenue from the Pyramids and the tombs of the pharaohs, and India has taken in a steady stream of tourist money from Taj Mahal. The observation that the Beatles and selling their history have contributed to reducing unemployment in England is not necessarily untrue.

An image of the band's superstardom is caught in a LIFE Magazine photograph of a female fan grabbing in ecstasy the grass on which the band members had just trodden. In 1966, there was a furor over John Lennon's comment that the Beatles were more popular than Jesus, but their loyal fans might not have disagreed with that statement. English pubs are said to always tune the TV to any program about the Beatles, as long as it does not overlap with a soccer game.

The Beatles might just be the greatest merchandise ever, universal cultural icons.

"Immortal" would never be an exaggeration when describing the Beatles. The band members chose to go separate ways in 1971, but the popularity of their music never faded during the ensuing thirty years. When the album "1," a best-of collection, was released in November last year, it was nearly unstoppable, selling 20 million copies around the world. "1" reached number one in sales in 34 countries, breaking the record set by the rock band U2 in 1997. In England, the album topped the charts for nine consecutive weeks, breaking the record set in 1969 by the Beatles themselves with "Abbey Road."

Born in 1943, guitarist and singer-songwriter George Harrison was the youngest member of the Beatles. Thursday, he passed on, becoming a star in the sky. For much of his musical career, he stood in the shadows of Paul McCartney and John Lennon, but his passion for music was second to none. After the third recurrence of cancer, he recorded new tracks in early September.

George Harrison will live forever with the music of the Beatles; he has simply moved from the Gothic mansion where he spent much of his later life to the hearts of the fans who love his music.

The writer is a deputy international news editor of the JoongAng Ilbo.

by Chae In-taek